With the Parish Year of the Eucharistic Revival about to launch on June 10, now is the perfect time to delve deeper into the richness of the Church’s teachings on the Eucharist. But where to begin?
Luckily, the St. John Vianney Lay Division is holding two courses next month which are certain to foster a greater love and devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist. The best part is that both courses are online and open to anyone, anywhere in the world! Check them out and register below!
The Mystery of the Glorious Body and Precious Blood: Medieval Debate Over the Real Presence
Date: Monday, June 5 Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Course description: The Middle Ages abounded in both Eucharistic miracles and highly intellectual Eucharistic debates. The doctrine of the Real Presence has never been easy to accept: “This is a difficult statement, who can listen to it” (Jn 6:60). In 1264, Pope Urban IV declared the feast of Corpus Christi to be universally celebrated and commissioned Thomas Aquinas to write the text of the Office and Mass for it. In this lecture with Dr. Seth Fabian, we will look at the medieval debates about the Eucharist and closely read Aquinas’ hymns, which are the pinnacle of Christian Latin poetry.
The Holy Eucharist: The Body, Blood, Soul, & Divinity of Jesus Christ
Dates: June 7, 14, and 21 Times: 9-11 a.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Denver time)
Course description: Since the inception of the Catholic Church, the Church has taught that the Holy Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. However, a 2019 Pew Survey of Catholics indicated that most Catholics only think that the Eucharist is a symbol, as most Protestant denominations believe. Why the disconnect between what the Catholic Church teaches and what her members believe? The possible answer is a crisis of catechesis about the Holy Eucharist and what It is. It is similar to when the Hebrews named the bread from Heaven “manna”, which literally means “What is it?”
In this Short Course, we will explore several areas where we will look at this Pew study and then the history of the Holy Eucharist through the Old and New Testaments, the typology of it in the Holy Scriptures, the Church Fathers, the Reformation, and even a few Eucharistic miracles! Join us this June as we study what some of Jesus’ disciples called a “hard saying; who can listen to it?” (John 6:60) How will you answer the question from Jesus, “Do you take offense at this?” (John 6:61). Come and learn the truth of this great gift of God, the Holy Eucharist!